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Websites to save you money

By Joanna Bounds |

Forget traipsing around the shops, comparing food prices, or paying over the odds for
a flight. Instead, just check out one of the many websites that will do the
hard work for you. Here’s how to slash your electricity bill, save on phone
calls, find cheap insurance and get bargains on your grocery bill, all by
logging on to one of these budget-boosting websites.

Cut your electricity and gas bills

According to Goswitch.
50 per cent of Australian households haven’t picked the most cost-effective gas
and electricity plan, and are paying their supplier’s highest prices. The free
site promises to save you money by comparing electricity and gas prices in your
area, saving the average user $340 each year on their energy bills. Simply enter your details online and Goswitch will contact you,
or call 1300 10 70 74.

Save on phone calls

With thousands of Australians paying too much for their mobile phone plan, it could
benefit your bank balance to visit Phonechoice.com.au.
You’ll find unbiased advice about the cheapest mobile plans, rates and plans
for landline phones, information on broadband providers, and can even ask
questions via Facebook.

Compare health insurance policies

If you or your family have private heath insurance, it’s worth logging on to Privatehealth.gov.au to compare the benefits of different policies. Run by the Australian
Government’s Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, you’ll find details and
weblinks to almost 40 different Australian health funds. The site also offers
impartial advice on topics such as health insurance rebates, surcharges and age
and wage-related variations.

Free internet voice calls

If you want to save money on long-distance and international phone conversations,
think about using VoIP,
or Voice over IP, which simply means making calls over the internet rather than
a traditional landline. Because the network costs are far lower than using your
home phone, many Australian providers offer unlimited long-distance calls
between capital cities, such as calls between Sydney and Melbourne for a fixed
price of around 10 cent per call.

Cheap car, health and travel insurance

For a one-stop website selling and comparing health, travel life and car insurance,
along with home loans and broadband, log on to iSelect. You can get
quotes for private health cover, look for income protection or life cover,
compare car insurance quotes, all matched to your needs and budget.

Cut-price flights

If you’re booking a family, get the cheapest possible fare by checking prices with a
flight and hotel comparison website such as Webjet. Just type in
your travel dates, destination and number of passengers and the website will
filter the cheapest prices through Qantas, Virgin Blue, Jetstar and Tiger
Airways, plus around 50 international airlines, along with featuring special
deals on thousands of hotels around the world.

Shopping bargains

While the savings might be huge on flights and hotels, everyday savings on your
grocery bill also add up. Go to Checknsave to compare
prices between Coles and Woolworths products - everything from raisin toast, to
breakfast cereals, milk and cheese, along with baby clothes, wipes, nappies and
formula. The site also has a handy graph for each item, so you can see whether
a product price has been rising or falling.